WORLD OF MASSAGE MUSEUM (WOMM)
Spring
2003 will see the opening of a unique new museum dedicated to massage and its history.
WOMM
is organised as a non profit educational institution to illustrate, preserve, promote and sponsor exhibits, programs and research
that will bring about a better understanding and appreciation by the community of the history, art, science and cultural environment
of massage.
WOMM
was founded by Robert Noah Calvert and Judith Lee Calvert and as a result of over 15 years of collecting massage items from
around the world. Robert Calvert is the author of recently published History
of massage.
The
museum is located in Spokane, Washington State, USA and plans to open its
doors in Spring 2003.
The
WOM collection is organised within 10 categories of objects and documents. The
ten categories are;
· Art and Ads
· Library
· Vibrators
· Body Rollers
· Lubricants
· Massage Tables and Chairs
· Instructional Aids
· Other Apparatus
· Education and Techniques
· Novelty
Featured Items in the 10 categories are;
Art and Ads
Postcards,
engravings, posters, flyers, advertisements and pieces of art.
Featured
items: 1837 poster of Dr. Swift offering Gentle Swedish Massage in New York; Painting from
the tomb of the ancient Egyptian King Tut being anointed with oil by his wife; a
variety of photographs from Hollywood movies depicting famous thespians receiving massage in the movies.
Library
Over
400 books, magazines, pamphlets, videos and manuscripts dating as early as 1823.
The
library includes most of the classical texts of the late 19th Century and early 20th Century.
Vibrators
The
first steam-powered devices (photo or illustration) from 1848; the first hand-cranked vibration machines from 1855 through
the Victorian age; many types of vibrators of the 20th Century used
for medical and relaxation purposes; advertisements and promotional literature illustrating many of these units. (Erotic devices are not included).
Body Rollers
From
Switzerland a unit called Le Vampire dating about 1880; the Punkt Roller from Germany; wooden foot roller from Malaysia; jade
foot rollers from China; ancient Polynesian Lomilomi sticks; a porcelain massage device from France that was used to give
facial rubbings. The oldest object in the museum is a 1000 year old Jade rubbing
device that is held in the hand like a brass knuckle.
Lubricants
Oils,
creams, talcum, lotion and liniments that span 100 years of history.
Massage Tablets and Chairs
Victorian
massage table from 1878; a vibrating massage table made in 1918 that was used in the Battlecreek Sanitarium, several homemade
and manufactured models found during the 20th Century. The first massage chair and models representing major changes
in chairs are also represented.
Instructional Aids
Paper
mannequins from various era; an articulated hand; a complete, real human skeleton; the BodyScope device used in the 1940s
as a teaching aid; numerous charts, diagrams, drawings and engravings from ancient to modern times.
Other Apparatus
An electric
belt used in 1880 for treating headaches; massage cushions and pillows; lights
for different purposes; traction devices and quack electrical treatment units.
Education and Techniques
A 1939
diploma from the College of Swedish Massage in Chicago; the complete correspondence course from that school; photos of graduating
classes during the middle of the 20th Century; printed materials relating to the variety of techniques and their
instruction that span 150 years of educations technique.
Novelty
The
Novelty division includes a Mickey Mouse back scratcher, Scooby-doo Massage Steering Wheel Cover, massage parlour posters
and other humorous and interesting items.
Progress
in the opening of the new museum can be followed in its website www.worldofmassagemuseum.com
